Among Flowers
by anifanatical
Summary: A week after Rukia is adopted into the Kuchiki family, she and Byakuya find themselves struggling with their new lifestyles which aren't made any easier by their resentful cousin, Katsuro. :: Family :: Pairings None :: Collab :: OC
1. Chapter 1

**Spoiler Warning – This fan fiction may contain mild Bleach spoilers for those readers who have not reached episode 62 or volume 21 (chapter 182). **

**Disclaimer – Bleach and all related characters used in this fanfic are property of Tite Kubo-sama. Katsuro is an original character property of the authors of this fan fiction. However, he is based on character relations in Bleach.**

**Chapter 1**

Kuchiki Byakuya walked through the gardens of the Kuchiki household, eyes glazed over as he lost himself in memories. It seemed not so long ago when he went to the academy, hearing that Hisana's younger sister was there. He could remember how nervous and excited he was. Finally, he would be able to fulfill his promise to his beloved wife.

_Byakuya waited silently in the room, waiting and listening to the older men speak to one another. Once in a while, he would nod but didn't say anything. His mind was elsewhere. What would she look like? Would she look like her older sister? Would she even accept his want to adopt her? Under his clothing, his fists clenched, the only sign of his nervousness. His face remained calm and serene. But that wasn't the case at all._

_As she entered the room she tensed and her large eyes shone vivid violet with surprise at the presence of the men. One of the elders plastered something resembling a warm smile across his face and beckoned her to come. Gripping her books tightly, Rukia crept to them. Scanning the strangers, her eyes skimmed over the gray-haired elders and fell upon the youngest, who was staring back at her. Something about his eyes made her even more uncomfortable and she quickly looked away toward the man who had drawn her over._

_Byakuya bit his tongue. Truly, this girl was Hisana's sister. They had the same face, the same eyes… even the same hair and physique. There was no question about it. But why had she looked away? Was he intimidating to her. With an effort, he suppressed his reiatsu and watched her. One of the old men cleared his throat roughly and began to speak. But the young lord hardly paid attention. He could only watch the young girl in front of him, hoping that she would accept._

_"Adopt…me?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly for some reason. She silently gulped in an effort to steady it. However, her body betrayed her again and her eyes darted back to the young man before flicking back to the speaker. She was becoming more and more self-conscious as she realized the man was watching her intently._

_"Yes that is correct. We will give you three days to think about it," the old man wheezed, holding up three fingers. Byakuya blinked. That wasn't very long. _

_"A week," he intervened. The old men jumped at his sudden statement and stared at him then glared at Rukia._

_She instinctively stepped back, shocked at the sudden hostility with which he looked at her. Again her eyes acted on their own yet again as they shot toward the young man. But instead of averting them she stood frozen, looking him directly in the eye, confused and shaken._

_"I would like to have your answer in one week," Byakuya said softly, almost gently, tempted to send the old men out of the room. They annoyed him. "Is that understood?"_

_Rukia could feel the increasing reiatsu slowly pressing on her body and could not bring herself to verbally respond. She silently nodded, still not taking her eyes off him. _

In a week, Rukia had accepted. Byakuya sighed softly and stopped in his steps. The girl seemed so intimidated by him… It was saddening, but he couldn't let himself get too close. After all, she must never find out who his wife was.

When he didn't move for a while, Rukia quietly slid the door shut and walked back into the center of her spacious room. It was strange, she had accepted the proposal to be adopted into his family, but so far her older brother hadn't said more than a few words to her. As she watched him, she couldn't help but feel that he didn't want her here and she had decided that it must have been the decision of the older men that had come to meet her. Though she could not think of a reason as to why she was chosen. Even though she excelled in her courses, she had not been in the advanced classes with Renji, nor had she done anything particularly worthy of nobility, having grown up a scamp in Rukongai. She sighed heavily and pulled at the sleeves of her new shihakushou as she examined herself in the mirror.

"Oi, Rukia," drawled out a voice of a young boy. He was fairly young, looking around fifteen, slender and pale. He almost looked like Byakuya save for the haughty smirk that adorned his face and his masculinity. In fact, he looked almost like a girl himself when he was standing next to Byakuya.

"Katsuro-sama," she replied and bowed slightly, "What brings you here this early?" Rukia addressed her cousin with respect, regardless of the fact that they were now related. She knew he hardly supported the idea of her being accepted into the family and had resolved to not give him any more reasons to hate her.

Katsuro frowned. Clearly this wasn't the reaction he had wanted.

"No reason…" he muttered. Then he paused and smiled coldly at her, "Enjoying the view?"

"Very much so, Katsuro-sama. The gardens are very beautiful."

"Any better with Byakuya-sama there?"

Rather tempted to kick his feet out from under him and set him sprawling on the ground, Rukia clenched her jaw but didn't respond.

Katsuro smirked. "I sure hope you aren't thinking of incest," he sneered.

"Katsuro. It isn't proper for a man to be in a room with a young lady alone." Byakuya had silently appeared in the doorway behind the boy. His grey-blue eyes were sharp and cold in his irritation. Katsuro jumped, stammered an apology and hurried out.

Rukia was sure that thanking Byakuya would seem extremely rude, so she simply bowed. "Good morning, Byakuya-sama."

The older man regarded her a moment.

"Good morning, Rukia. Sleep well?" he inquired softly.

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Byakuya gave a small nod before silently walking away. Once out of sight, he sighed heavily and put a hand over his eyes. This was harder than he thought…

Standing alone again, Rukia stared sadly at the floor. "Do I really belong here?" she asked the tatami mat. When it did not respond, she walked slowly out into the hallway to find breakfast.

()o()o()o()

"Rukia." Byakuya approached her after breakfast and pulled her aside to talk to her, well aware that Katsuro was taking his time leaving the room.

"Byakuya-sama? What is it?"

"I want you to continue your schooling. So you will be trained by Ukitake-taichou's fukutaichou, Kaien." Byakuya watched Rukia's face for her reaction. She was as expressive as Hisana used to be.

His vigilance was rewarded with a wide-eyed look of surprise. "Ukitake-taichou? Thirteenth Division Captain?" Suddenly grateful for having been required to memorize the names of the captains in class, Rukia wondered why she couldn't just continue schooling at the Shinigami Academy. Choosing not to voice this question, she nodded and responded politely, "yes, sir."

Byakuya was grateful that she didn't show fear or any other emotion like that. Surprise was all right.

"Very well. I will inform Kaien-fukutaichou this afternoon," he stated.

"Thank you, sir. Then, if you'll excuse me," she bowed and quickly left the dining hall. Katsuro had been still hanging around, obviously watching her and Byakuya like a hawk and she wanted very much to escape his talons. She slipped outside into the gardens where her brother had been walking earlier and sighed. The morning had been very stressful, having felt everyone's eyes on her during breakfast, and she was glad to be alone in the quiet yard. Slowly strolling along the path that wound through the plants, she came upon a small wooden bench that sat directly underneath a sakura tree. When she reached it, she lightly brushed away the petals and as they scattered she sat down to gazed up at the pink blossoms. "So pretty," she murmured, "All these nobles are like these flowers… perfect and beautiful. I'm like a weed in their garden." She groaned softly and lay down on the bench, "Why am I here?"

Byakuya, however, had followed her. But he shielded himself so he could simply watch her to see how she acted when no one was around. When he heard her speak, it was very quiet and he had a hard time hearing what she was saying. But when he was able to listen, it hurt very deeply inside. For a moment, he stood there behind the lilac tree before gliding away, wondering what he should do.

()o()o()o()

"Yo, Kuchiki!" Kaien's usual welcome seemed to warm Rukia. The numbness from earlier seemed to slowly melt away. Even though she had just met her vice captain a few days ago, she already felt that he accepted her as a person, and not just the noble that she had been pressured into being. "Bya-kun said I should give you some training," he grinned.

"Bya…kun?" Rukia asked, startled at her brother's pet name.

Kaien adopted an overly dramatic shocked expression and pouted, "Wha? You've been living with him for a week now and Bya-kun never mentioned anything about our great adventures together as kids?! How cruel."

Trying to imagine her mostly silent and cold older brother off having "great adventures" with her melodramatic vice captain, Rukia could only stammer, "Uh...N…No, sir."

Byakuya had closed his eyes at the pet name and 'patiently' listened to their conversation.

"Kaien-fukutaichou," he finally said, very quietly, very sternly, "I would appreciate it if you didn't use that name. Especially not in front of my younger sister."

"So mean!" Kaien pouted, but after receiving a frigid glare, he snickered quietly before turning back to Rukia. "Righ', then. Like I was saying. Bya-ku… _Onii-chan_, said that I should train you." He grinned evilly and glanced at Byakuya.

The other man glared at Kaien. "Rukia, I expect you to maintain a level of respect for your trainer since he is above you in class. For now. Do not drop to his level," he told his sister while still glaring at Kaien.

"Y-yes, sir," she replied as she watched her fukutaichou giggle quietly.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "I'll be having a talk with Uketake-taichou shortly then," he stated. He turned to Rukia, put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Behave well, Rukia."

She bowed slightly, "Yes, sir."

"I'll be back later." Then the head of the Kuchiki household walked off. Kaien whistled.

"How do you live with him?" he whispered to Rukia, eyes wide.

"E-excuse me?"

"Ah, well… It just seems to me like you're both really formal to each other for being siblings an' all," he shrugged. When Rukia didn't reply and he saw her sad expression, he stopped. After a moment, he smiled understandingly and ruffled her hair, "Don' worry about it. Let's get to that training!"

Rukia was shocked. She had been sure he was going to question her about her living conditions, but he had suddenly dropped the subject and smiled at her. The warm feeling from before washed over her again and she couldn't help but smile. "Yes, sir!"

()o()o()o()

Byakuya couldn't stop worrying about Rukia while she was gone. He kept wondering if a Hollow would attack or if another shinigami started to pick on her. As a result, he tuned out Katsuro when he was talking at lunch and was brought back into the world by a sudden crashing of dishes. Stressed and irritated, he quietly got up and left the room.

Hours later, he came by again to pick up Rukia and to see her progress. As he approached, Kaien grinned and waved him over.

"Onii-chan!" he called, "Come to pick up lil' Kuchiki, have we?"

"I have," Byakuya confirmed, "How is her progress?"

"She's been doing really well for someone whose been out of school for over a week," he said, patting her on the head. Rukia bowed slightly as her brother walked up.

A faint smile curved Byakuya's lips, but was gone in a moment.

"I'm glad to hear that. We'll be by tomorrow," he told Kaien before beckoning Rukia to his side.

She trotted over to him and turned to face her fukutaichou, "Thank you for your help, Kaien-donno."

He smiled gave a little two-fingered salute from his temple, "See ya' tomorrow, then."

Byakuya nodded to Kaien.

"Thank you," he said before gently leading Rukia away, "What did you learn today?"

Slightly startled by the question, Rukia suddenly got the feeling that she was being quizzed. "Um… Kaien-dono helped me to review simple kido as well as some basic zanpakutou skills," she couldn't help but feel that from her overview, it didn't seem like she had accomplished much of anything during her first lesson and she felt ashamed to be relating it to Byakuya.

"Good. No problems I assume?" That question had been bothering him for the past few hours. Nothing had gone wrong right?

"No, sir."

Byakuya exhaled.

"Good." Then there was a silence. A stifling silence that set Rukia on edge in a way. But at the same time, she was relieved that she didn't have to answer any more questions. She stared at the ground in front of her as they walked.

Byakuya opened his mouth to speak. Then his courage left him and he sighed and closed his mouth again. He wanted to get close to her as a brother should. But… it seemed so hard.

"He sighed. Why did he sigh?" she thought to herself frantically. Had she been right? Was he disappointed in the work she'd done today? "I'll work harder with Kaien-dono, tomorrow, sir," she said hastily.

Byakuya blinked and glanced down at her.

"No, no. Well… I mean, I want you to work harder, but I'm not disappointed in you."

Now, being utterly confused, Rukia returned her gaze to the ground, having looked up at her brother when he had replied, and nodded wordlessly. If he wasn't disappointed, then what was the sigh for? After a great deal of hesitation, she ventured to ask, "Um… How… How was your day?"

"It was uneventful…" Byakuya paused before saying, "I was worried about you though…"

Rukia's eyes widened and she looked up at her brother again. "Worried? About me?" she asked herself, though she couldn't bring herself to ask the question aloud. She just stared dumbly at him.

"I don't want anyone causing trouble for you. You're my little sister," Byakuya continued, his voice getting softer.

"Onii-chan…" As soon as the word came out of her mouth she realized what she had said and she immediately covered her mouth and blushed darkly, her eyes wide with a sort of fright.

Byakuya looked down at her then back up, swallowing. Was he getting too close too fast?

"I'm so sorry," she whispered almost inaudibly. She couldn't seem to tear her hands from in front of her mouth as she spoke, "It's just… Kaien-dono… the name… I…" she bit her hand, "I'm so sorry…"

"I don't understand why you're apologizing…" Byakuya said quietly, closing his grey eyes for a moment.

The constant flow of shock was starting to hurt Rukia's head. She gulped silently to get a hold of her voice before replying.

"When… Kaien-dono called you that… You… You didn't seem… Very pleased… I'm sorry."

"Ah." Byakuya shook his head, "The way Kaien said it was different. He was taunting me."

Rukia studied her brother for a few moments before nodding curtly. "I'm sorry, sir."

Byakuya exhaled softly.

"It's all right," he assured her, lightly placing his hand on her shoulder, "Come, dinner should be ready by now."

She nodded again and followed behind him as he continued walking. Staring at the ground she felt the spot where he had touched her shoulder prickle and she held back a slight shudder. Surely he had just been trying to comfort her in some fashion, yet why was her body rejecting it? This cold shiver wasn't the sort of feeling that she got when Renji had touched her. Why should it be different for her new brother? She looked up to make sure he wasn't looking, and then quickly reached up and massaged the spot before dropping her hands back to her sides again.

It was silence until they got home. Katsuro practically pounced on Byakuya and started rambling about the things he'd done that day. Byakuya didn't bat an eye as he passed the boy, obviously thinking of something else.

Rukia also tried to ignore him as she pushed her way toward her room on the pretense that she needed to "freshen up" for dinner.

"It's not over Rukia," Katsuro growled as she passed before he stormed off.

When she got to her room she slid the door shut behind her and fell to the floor with a heavy sigh. The side of her face resting on the rough tatami mat, she stared blankly at the wall. Oniichan. She mouthed the word silently. After a moment she quickly sat up and shock her head violently. She loosened her obi just enough to slide the off outer layer of her shihakushou, leaving the white nagajuban. She draped it over a chair and grabbed a small towel before stopping infront of her mirror.

Looking at herself, she didn't think she looked all that much different. It was simply the background that was different. She no longer saw the trees and sky of Rukongai or the busy dorm in the shinigami academy. Now a quiet, clean, perfect backdrop of wealth and class shown behind her. She hit the mirror lightly with her towel, as if the reflection would ripple away like water to reveal the life she had only a few weeks prior. When it did not, she walked away into the adjoining bath and slowly closed the door.

Later, dinner was served but Byakuya had to leave early to attend to some family business. That left Rukia and Katsuro. Katsuro wasn't pleased to be left with Rukia and showed it.

Rukia wasn't particularly happy to be in the situation either, and she continued to pick at the remains of her dinner as an excuse not to make eye contact.

"So… Rukia…" Katsuro said softly.

"Sir?" she replied without taking her eyes off her plate.

"What's it like being trained by an older man? Does he say things to you?" Katsuro purred, smirking.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Katsuro-sama," Rukia said flatly, trying not to sound as irritated as she felt.

"Is he comfortable with you now?" Katsuro pressed.

Rukia stabbed a piece of meat especially hard and ate it without answering.

"Do you like him?" Katsuro continued to question.

"Why does it concern you so much, Katsuro-sama? Surely you have other things to talk about that are far more interesting than my tutoring."

"No reason. Just asking," Katsuro responded smugly.

"How was your day, then, sir?" It was Rukia's turn to push the conversation but instead of searching for answers she was trying to lead the topic away from herself.

"It was boring. But I was able to up my spiritual powers," the boy boasted haughtily.

"That's good," she said with a tone of fake enthusiasm that she hoped Katsuro didn't recognize, "You're very strong, sir."

"I know," Katsuro said, smirking to himself. Obviously he was too shallow to see the fake enthusiasm.

This fact greatly relived Rukia and she continued to compliment her cousin. Understanding that feeding his ego would probably end up hurting her in the long run, now she simply wanted to get him off her case.

After quite a few minutes of conversation centered on Katsuro, Rukia stood to leave. "Well, if you will excuse me Katsuro-sama. I'm rather tired from my training today and I would like to get some rest."

"Oh. Yeah, okay," Katsuro responded absently, also standing.

"Good night, then." After a half-bow, she hurried out of the dining all and down the corridor to her room.

A few minutes later, a soft knock sounded at Rukia's door. Having been napping near her window, wearing only her white under-kimono as a top, Rukia jumped at the sound, snatched the rest of her shihakushou from her bed, and pulled it around her shoulders before calling to the guest that they could enter.

"I'm sorry… Did I wake you?" Byakuya asked quietly as he entered the room.

"No, sir. I was just…" she trailed off in the middle of the sentence and motioned vaguely toward the window seat.

"Please… don't call me sir…" Byakuya requested after a moment, staying near the doorway.

Unsure of what she was supposed to say, Rukia turned to face him with an unconcealed look of confusion.

Byakuya met her gaze squarely. "You're my sister. You're part of my family… you don't have to call me sir, please don't."

Her heart jumped awkwardly as their eyes met. "Then… What… Um…"

"If it suits you, you may call me Onii-chan if you wish. But saying 'sir' makes it sound like you're a stranger. You are far from a stranger, Kuchiki Rukia. You're my sister…"

Rukia's eyes widened and she blushed lightly. There was a sudden pressure in her chest and she clutched her shihakushou tighter, sure that her heartbeat could be seen. She couldn't take her eyes away from his. "Onii…sama…" she whispered.

A smile twitched at the corners of Byakuya's mouth and he had to force himself to remain stoic. But the lighting made it seem like he was smiling.

"I'll leave you to sleep. Goodnight Rukia," he murmured before disappearing from the room.

When she could no longer hear his light footsteps padding down the hall, Rukia's knees failed her and she dropped to the floor. What in the world was going on? Why was she blushing? Certainly it was simply because she had been paid a compliment by being accepted as part of such a high-class noble family. Then why was her heart beating so strangely? She searched for a memory of this feeling to find that the only other time she could recall it was a few weeks ago when Byakuya had first come to meet her at the school. So the heartbeat was simply a result of having been caught off guard, wasn't it? Nothing more. Why should it be anything more?

With a tad bit of difficulty, she stood and walked to the bath where she splashed cool water on her face. She dried herself with a small hand towel and then looked up at her reflection yet again. This time, however, instead of being surprised at seeing the wealthy backdrop, she smiled. "Maybe I can belong here after all," she told the mirror. She walked back into her room and crawled into her bed. Staring out the window, she mouthed, "Onii-sama." A soft, relieved smile set upon her face as she closed her eyes.

Katsuro watched as Byakuya closed the door to his own room and the light went out. He frowned. This wasn't good. At this rate, Byakuya will send him away so he can pay better attention to Rukia. He frowned deeper and narrowed his eyes. There was no way in hell that he would let some mangy street-girl take his place in the Kuchiki household!

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

From the collaboration of authors that brought you "Protect," comes a brand new story of siblings struggling to find peace with one another. Yay! This won't be quite the plot-moving-action-filled fanfiction that "Protect" was, but we hope you'll like it anyway. As a last note, like "Protect," this is a role play fan fiction and it is written as such. Each character has their own "paragraph" where the author wrote for said character.

Translation Notes: When we write our fanfictions we use many Japanese words and suffixes and tend to forget that not everyone knows what they mean. So here's a quick explaination of words used in this chapter.  
shihakushou - the Bleach shinigami outfit  
-sama - a highly respectful name suffix. "Katsuro-sama" would be similar to "Lord Katsuro."  
-kun - a friendly name suffix used primarily for young men.  
-dono - a respectful name suffix.  
Onii-chan - a very friendly and childish pet name for an older brother. Similar to "big bro."  
Onii-sama - a mix between "Onii-chan" and the suffix "-sama." Used by Rukia in the series when addressing Byakuya.  
taichou - Captain  
fukutaichou - Vice Captain

Regarding pairings: Technically, there are **NO **pairings in this fan fiction. We aren't writing this with the intention of writing ByaRuki fics. We are writing because the Kuchiki siblings are the most adorable siblings on the face of the planet. If the readers wish to see it as ByaRuki, so be it. If they wish to see it as Kuchiki siblings, so be it.

Regarding the nickname "Bya-kun."It's an allusion to a dropped fanfic of ours, "Those Younger Days." You can find it on my account.

**PLEASE RxR. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Spoiler Warning – This fan fiction may contain mild Bleach spoilers for those readers who have not reached episode 62 or volume 21 (chapter 182). **

**Disclaimer – Bleach and all related characters used in this fanfic are property of Tite Kubo-sama. Katsuro is an original character property of the authors of this fan fiction. However, he is based on character relations in Bleach.**

**Chapter 2**

"Late! Late! Late!" Rukia called to herself as she hurriedly brushed her hair. She tossed the brush onto her bed and rushed out the door down to breakfast. As she approached the dining hall she slowed down and caught her breath. When she walked in she immediately saw Byakuya already at the table. When the word "Onii-sama" popped into her head unannounced, she felt her heart jump again and her eyes dropped to the floor as she took her seat.

"Good morning Rukia," Byakuya greeted, "Sleep well?" he inquired. Katsuro sent her a venomous glare.

"Yes, Nii-sama," she replied quietly, smiling at the table.

"Good." Katsuro stood and moved over to Rukia, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face.

"Rukia, can I have a word with you?" he inquired. Byakuya eyed him warily.

Confused and suspicious of Katsuro's obviously exaggerated kind tone, Rukia nodded at him. "Yes, Katsuro-sama." She bowed slightly at the people at the table, most specifically at Byakuya, "If you'll excuse me."

Katsuro drew her aside.

"So… I'm not sure you know," he said, watching her closely.

"Know what, sir?" she asked calmly, staring back at him with what she hoped were confident eyes.

"About Byakuya-sama's deceased wife," Katsuro said, "You look exactly like her."

"Yes, sir. One of the elders mentioned it when I was brought here," she answered, unsure of how this was relevant to anything.

"So you have heard… Well, I think that Byakuya-sama has something else in mind for you. You realize that he's been getting closer with you right?" Katsuro prompted.

Rukia's brow furrowed slightly and she continued to stare Katsuro in the eye, but she did not respond.

"Perhaps he thinks that you can replace his wife. He'll get closer… and wait until you're more comfortable with him," Katsuro purred.

At first, she was shocked and her heart skipped a beat. Then she caught herself and she stared coldly at her cousin, again without responding.

"He's a noble; no one cares what he does behind the scenes," Katsuro went on, "He can shut them up by paying them a few yen… So. What makes you think he won't try?"

Her heart continued to race, out of fear or anger she couldn't tell. Her eyes began to burn and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out. "If you'll excuse me, Katsuro-sama," she said in a shaky but defiant voice. She pushed him away, walked back to the breakfast table, and sat down without a word. She clenched her hands in her lap and sat stiffly, glaring at the table in front of her.

Byakuya was alarmed at this and looked up at Katsuro who returned to his seat and started to eat without pausing. The older man glanced worriedly at Rukia but didn't address the problem. He would later.

Rukia no longer had any desire to eat. She quietly excused herself early and slipped out into the gardens.

Katsuro smirked when Rukia left. Byakuya looked startled and moved to get up. Katsuro then quickly engaged him in a conversation that had the older man staring at Katsuro in shock and even horror.

Following the path that she had a few days prior, Rukia found the bench underneath the cherry blossom tree and collapsed into it. She shut her eyes tightly to try to prevent tears from coming. Then she bolted upright and vomited behind the seat. Coughing and choking on half sobs, she draped herself over the back of the bench and attempted to catch her breath. She couldn't help but fell that she had been betrayed as soon as she had begun to feel that she was finally being accepted. This time she couldn't hold back the tears and she cried weakly into her arms.

()o()o()o()

Later, Rukia stumbled into her room and slunk to her bathroom where she washed her face. Her eyes were red and her face blotchy from crying and the cool water felt good against her hot skin. She lightly dried herself and returned to her bedroom where she lightly sat down beside the window and stared, dazed, out at the sky.

"Rukia…" Byakuya said softly from where he stood in the doorway.

Knowing that she should have been shocked and wondering vaguely why she wasn't, Rukia turned to face him with a blank expression.

"Tell me what Katsuro told you," Byakuya said quietly, not moving.

"Sir?" she asked without thinking before quickly trying to cover it, "Um, Nii…sama?"

"When he spoke to you at breakfast. What did he say?" he asked again, his voice gentle, not demanding.

She continued to stare at him blankly. She couldn't say it. How could she? "He didn't say anything in particular," she lied, knowing full well that it was a horrible excuse for a fib.

Byakuya didn't buy the lie.

"Rukia…" His voice was pleading, gentle and concerned. Uncharacteristically so.

His tone made Rukia's heart twist painfully and her eyes drifted away from him. "He didn't say anything, Nii-sama," she persisted quietly.

Byakuya watched her before exhaling softly.

"You're my sister, Rukia. I don't want anything to happen to you. Katsuro will be leaving in three days."

The warm, comforting feeling that the word "sister" had brought the previous day did not come. Instead, Rukia felt a bitter sort of emptiness. But when she heard Katsuro would be leaving, she couldn't help but look up again. "Where is he going?"

"He's going to stay at my cousin's house. He's caused too much trouble here." Byakuya's eyes had gone cold as he glanced to the side.

"I see." Rukia turned back to the window. She felt relived and somewhat comforted but unlike the warm accepted comfort, it was the sort of comfort felt after being frightened suddenly; a numb feeling that something horrible had finally left.

"Rukia… If you ever need to talk… please don't hesitate to." Byakuya then silently left the room.

As he left, Rukia continued to stare out the window. "You're my sister," the words echoed in her head. Was she really? Or was what Katsuro said true? Was she just another woman to be shown off? It certainly made sense. Why else would she have been adopted into the family? By being his "sister" first, Byakuya could marry her as nobility without a second thought. She did not have to be in the advanced classes of the shinigami academy to become a noble's wife. She did not have to be worthy of nobility; she simply had to look like one. She suddenly felt useless, like a doll behind a glass case, sitting there as everyone else walked by living their lives. She curled up beside the window and hugged her knees and allowed tears to drop silently into her shihakushou.

()o()o()o()

Byakuya saw Rukia off to her shinigami training, his countenance sadder than normal. Katsuro looked unbelievably smug and triumphant though.

"Byaaaaaa-kun! Kuchiki-chan!" Kaien grinned and waved as he saw them coming. Rukia could only nod at her vice captain.

"Kaien," Byakuya greeted quietly with a slight nod.

Kaien looked them over with wide, worried eyes. "Everythin' alright?"

"I'll leave you two to your training," Byakuya said stiffly before using shunnpo to get away.

Rukia didn't look up when he left and Kaien stared at her. After a while he sighed. "Y'know, brooding over something never helps." Rukia looked up at him and he smiled. "Don' worry about it. What ever it is. Now, get out that zanpakutou and let's start practicing, kay?"

She looked up at him and she felt her eyes water slightly. She hastily blinked them back and smiled gratefully. "Yes, sir!"

()o()o()o()

When their time was up, Byakuya came to get Rukia, his eyes dark and troubled. He seemed distracted almost and was startled when Kaien approached.

"Don' run into anything, Bya-kun! Ya' look a little spaced out there," he teased.

During her training, Rukia had become a lot less tense. Being around Kaien had gotten her mind off of the things Katsuro had said and she had actually found herself smiling while she was working. But when she saw Byakuya, her heart sank. Katsuro's words grew louder in her head and she suddenly felt very slow and weighed down by his presence. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye now.

"A little..." Byakuya said stiffly. He glanced at Rukia uneasily before turning back to Kaien. "How was today?"

"How nice of you to ask, Bya-kun!" Kaien grinned, "I actually slept in today and was late to Ukitake-taichou's meeting! Apparently there's a bit of a hollow infestation up near the edge of northern Rukongai. Anyway, then some idiot had to go and blow up the dorms with some false Kido and I had to go inspect the damage. And after that, can you believe, Yamamoto-soutaichou had me…"

"I meant your training with Rukia," Byakuya interrupted calmly.

"Well ya' could have said so earlier," he pouted before sparing a glance toward Rukia who was looking pained. He pulled her close and put his arm around her shoulder, which surprised her, "this little Kuchiki did really well today. She learned a few more basic sword attacks and got the hang of a simple kido. You should be proud of her. She's a quick learner." He grinned and ruffled her hair with his free hand before looking back to Byakuya with a sort of understanding look in his eyes.

Byakuya relaxed.

"Thank you for teaching her, Kaien," he said softly. Even though he didn't say he was proud of her, his heart and chest swelled with just that emotion.

"No problem, no problem," the vice captain responded, smiling and waving a hand.

Byakuya nodded and paused to allow Rukia to say goodbye to Kaien before they left.

Rukia forced herself to stay beside her brother as they walked. She could feel herself trembling slightly and she prayed that it wasn't noticeable. Katsuro's voice rang in her ears so clearly that he could have been standing beside her, whispering secrets about lustful desires and secret marriages. Biting her tongue, she stared at the ground, fighting the violent urge to run on ahead.

"Rukia. Katsuro confessed to me what he had told you."

Her heart skipped a beat and she suddenly found it rather hard to breath as a highly uncomfortable pressure enveloped her. She could barely find the strength to walk, much less look up or reply.

"Though I cannot make you believe me, I will tell you this: You are my little sister. The bond will not go further than that. Katsuro has lied to you and to me as well. That, I will not forgive him for. Nor will I have any reason to trust him. Rukia, look at me."

Betrayed by her eyes, she faced him, her breath quickening.

"Do you believe that I would purposefully harm you in that way?" Byakuya asked her quietly, looking at her in the eyes.

"I… I…" Rukia heard her voice crack and forced back a sob. His eyes hurt her. They were pained and created a horrible sensation that she had betrayed him. She couldn't tell him that she had believed Katsuro, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to lie to his eyes. "I…" she clutched her arms and tore her eyes away and mouthed, "I'm sorry…"

Byakuya felt as if he'd been stabbed. She had believed Katsuro…? A strange coldness entered his body and he found he was unable to speak. "You… must be tired… I'll have dinner brought in to your room when it's ready. Rest…" Byakuya finally said after a moment. He sounded weary himself. With that, he kept moving to their home.

But Rukia didn't continue walking. She stood clutching herself with a pained expression on her face as she stared at the ground. When Rukia didn't follow, Byakuya closed his eyes tightly. He knew what was coming next. She dashed forward and ran ahead, eyes squeezed shut in a feeble attempt to keep tears from coming. As she ran, she shook her head violently and called out to Byakuya in her head, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Byakuya didn't try to stop her. He let her run ahead. When he arrived at his home, he stayed in the gardens, thinking.

Rukia locked herself in her room and sat dazed against the door, tears falling down her face as she stared up at the ceiling. Her emotions were drowning her. She was immensely relieved to find that Katsuro had been telling her was a lie. But then she felt an unbearable guilt at the fact that she had believed him and that it hurt Byakuya so.

"Then why doesn't he tell me why I was adopted?" she asked herself. Sudden anger filled her, now. At least Katsuro's explanation had provided some answer as to her purpose here. Now she was just as confused as before. What reason could there be that Byakuya could say she was his sister, but not tell her why. She knew she hadn't ever asked him, but she glared into space thinking that she shouldn't have to ask. Dizziness overcame her and she lightly put a hand to her head as she let herself lay flat on the floor.

Byakuya came in for dinner, but found he couldn't stand to be around Katsuro anymore. He excused himself early and holed himself up in his room. Katsuro ground his teeth. His plan had backfired. And it was his fault it had. Anger flared up and he slammed his fist on the table. Annoyance came next then anger again.

()o()o()o()

When the overall noise of the household heading to bed had subsided, Rukia slid open her door. After checking the dark hallway to make sure nobody was there, she quietly stepped out of her room and made her way toward the gardens.

Katsuro was still awake and had heard someone left. Curious, he went out to see who it was. When he saw it was Rukia, he didn't show himself but followed her at a safe distance.

She strode through the garden, gazing at the flowers that were blanketed in moonlight. A small plant caught her eye. It didn't shimmer in the soft light and created a dark spot among the flowers that surrounded it. Stooping down, Rukia saw that it was the start of a small weed: a young vine that was slowly creeping up from the ground. She glared at it for a moment before reaching out and pulling it out, ripping its roots from the soil. Standing, she continued to walk and carried the plant to the garden gate where she paused before opening it and slipping outside the manor grounds.

Intrigued, Katsuro followed after her. Where would she be going at this time of night?

When they were well away from the noble's houses, Rukia suddenly veered off the path. She walked out into the grass, knelt down, and placed the plant neatly on the ground. "You belong out here," she whispered to it, "You can't damage any of the flowers now and you can grow freely." Sighing, she stood up again. After a while she turned away and continued to walk aimlessly down the path.

Katsuro raised an eyebrow. What a freak. He went over to the weed and crushed it with his foot.

"Stupid thing shouldn't be living at all," he hissed once he knew Rukia couldn't hear him.

After a long while of nothing but walking, Katsuro decided that Rukia wasn't doing anything particularly interesting, but just before he turned to head back home, he saw a group of men coming toward them on the road. Soon the sound of their drunken voices reached his ears.

Rukia saw them and kept walking though she was thinking of how to avoid them. One of the men jabbed another in the side and motioned toward her. She cursed under her breath and slowed down when the men approached her.

"Hey pretty lady," said a particularly ugly one as he stooped down to her eye level. The smell of his sake-saturated breath reminded Rukia of the men from the Rukongai.

"She's pretty cute," another purred, smirking as he caught her chin to look at her better. Katsuro paused and watched to see what would happen.

Rukia knocked the hand away and stepped back, glaring at them. She had left her zanpakutou back in her room and was now wishing that she had thought to bring it.

"Ooooo feisty," jeered another, swaggering over to the first two. "I like 'em feisty," he purred before grabbing her wrist.

"Leave me alone," she barked. She threw her arm up, knocking him hard in the face and then kicked hard between his legs.

The man yelled in pain and crumpled to the ground, writhing. The other two blinked stupidly at him, then looked at her.

"-The hell you think you are, bitch?" drawled yet another man in the back, "Ya' can't jus' come up an' kick a guy and 'spect to get away wit' it." He stumbled toward her and drew a short knife from the inside of his kimono. He swung out at her, missing greatly and nearly slicing the faces of the two men who first approached her.

"Idiots," Rukia muttered. As he swung again, she dropped to the ground and spun on the spot, kicking his legs out from under him. She stood quickly and stomped on the hand holding the knife. The man yelled and released the blade and she swiftly kicked it away. Another man came forward and attempted to hit Rukia over the head with a sake bottle. Katsuro smirked, coming up with an idea.

Rukia easily dodged the bottle and spun around to kick the man in the back, throwing him forward onto his face.

Katsuro grabbed the abandoned knife and ran forward to beat up the last man. He slammed the handle into back of the man's head and let him crumple in a heap.

"Rukia, are you hurt?" he demanded, coming towards Rukia with wide, concerned eyes.

"K…Katsuro…sama?" the last part she added with a decent amount of effort, "What are you…?"

"Look… I feel really bad about lying to you… I was going to your room to talk to you. Obviously, you weren't there. So I went into the gardens and saw you slip out," Katsuro said, looking at the ground, "I'm really sorry… It was wrong; I shouldn't have done that…"

Rukia could only stare at him, dumbfounded.

"So… I understand if you can't forgive me right here, but I promise not to do anything like that again," Katsuro said, looking at her.

"Um… well… Okay… Thank you, sir." Utterly confused at his sudden apology, she continued to stare at him oddly. When she became aware of herself, she quickly tore her eyes away and glanced at the men sprawled out on the ground and realized that she felt better than she had earlier. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because she had taken her anger out on the men, or if it was because protecting herself from drunkards had sparked memories of Rukongai and her life with Renji. Pushing these thoughts away, she looked back at her cousin. "Well, we should probably head back, Katsuro-sama."

"Right. Let's go." Katsuro paused to stay and walk beside Rukia so they wouldn't run into anymore trouble. When they got back, Katsuro mumbled a goodnight to her before heading into his room to sleep.

Rukia decided to bathe in the morning before breakfast so as not to wake anyone. She quickly changed, slid into bed, and wondered about Katsuro's apology. "I wonder if Nii-sama put him up to it," she thought to herself. When she realized that she had addressed Byakuya as "nii-sama" unconsciously, she was surprised. She considered it a moment and realized that it no longer felt like a false name, and smiled.

()o()o()o()

The next morning, Katsuro told Byakuya what had happened last night. The older man was surprised at this sudden act of kindness and was suspicious about the reasoning. But if it turned into anything worse, he promised himself that Katsuro would live on the streets.

Rukia's stomach growled as she stepped out of the bath. Having gone without breakfast and dinner had finally started to take its toll. She guessed that the stress of he previous day had distracted her mind from the hunger. As she dressed, she tried to force her thoughts away from the matter and concentrated heavily on tying her obi. Her stomach complained again as she stepped out of her room and she pressed a hand to it, willing it to be silent until she ate breakfast.

Byakuya was just passing when he noticed Rukia. "Good morning…" he said quietly, "Breakfast is already on the table, I'll be there shortly."

"Ah, yes," she replied awkwardly and she nodded curtly before walking away stiffly toward the dining hall. She had become tense when he approached. The events of the evening came to her mind: running away from him tearful, confessing to believing Katsuro's lies, seeing her brother's pained eyes... She grimaced at the memory and shuddered at the fresh feelings it dredged up. Upon sliding through the doors to the hall, she scanned the table for Katsuro.

The boy was eating happily, but when he saw Rukia, his smile became a bit strange.

"Good morning Rukia," he said, a little too cheerfully.

"Good morning, Katsuro-sama." Taking a seat a few spaces down from him, Rukia set about satisfying her obnoxious stomach with as much poise as she could muster, which was turning out to be slightly more difficult than she had planned as her hunger seemed to grow exponentially upon tasting the food.

"When do you go and train with Kaien-sama?" Katsuro asked conversationally.

"I will most likely return this afternoon as usual. Is there any particular reason for your question, Katsuro-sama?" she replied, in an equally casual tone.

"No, I'm only wondering." Katsuro started to say something else when Byakuya's presence filled the room. After that, breakfast was a quiet affair.

Katsuro made casual conversation, making small, harmless comments about Rukia's training with Kaien.

"I don't think that Rukia will be training… I thought I heard someone say something about him being absent," Katsuro said thoughtfully.

"No, he's there," Byakuya replied wearily.

"Isn't he going to be busy with the northern part with the Hollows?" Katsuro pressed. He clamped his mouth shut when Byakuya glanced at him with a hard gaze.

However, Katsuro's comments had caught Rukia's attention.

"What hollows in the north? And what does Kaien-dono have to do with it?"

"Don't worry about it Rukia," Byakuya replied. His tone of voice made it known that it was the end of the conversation.

()o()o()o()

Rukia found that her strolls through the garden were becoming a routine measure after breakfast. The flowers, while intimidating, held a captivating beauty that drew her to the little area. Instead of taking her usual path to the bench beneath the sakura tree, she wandered in the other direction. She had been gazing across a small pond when she saw him.

Byakuya was in the garden as well, but his back was to her as he walked. His proud figure seemed almost wilted, sad yet his path was certain and he didn't look like he was merely wandering.

Something about the way he carried himself made Rukia stop. She watched him as he strode amongst the plants. When he turned around a corner her curiosity got the better of her. Trying her hardest to suppress her already weak reiatsu, she sped a long the path to catch up to him.

In only a moment's time, they reached a strange house-looking building. It was well-kept and very modest, rather pretty too. However, Byakuya only seemed to grow sadder as he approached it. Rukia watched from a short distance as he opened the doors. Fortunately, Byakuya left the door slightly open as he went inside the building.

When she fairly certain that he wasn't right inside of the door, Rukia crept up to the entrance and peer inside, taking care not to make any noise.

Byakuya's low voice could be heard inside.

"… What to do, Hisana… Nothing seems to be working. Perhaps when Katsuro is gone things will get better," he was saying, very softly.

Rukia could barely hear him and she strained her ears to catch even a few words. "Hisana," she thought, "Hisana-sama?" She leaned in just slightly further and craned her neck as if it would help her to hear him better.

"She just doesn't trust me anymore. I promised you I would take care of her… perhaps I'm not meant to be an older brother…" Byakuya's voice was barely above a whisper now. It was completely impossible for Rukia to hear anything more than the soft sound of his breath as he spoke.

"I wish you were here Hisana." His voice became a bit louder, but not any stronger, "You would know how to help me with this…"

A powerful sense of intrusion flooded over Rukia. She was sure that she was not meant to hear any of this. But this was a side of her brother that she hadn't seen. Of course she had heard of his love for his wife - Katsuro had taken special liberty to emphasize it more than the others – but she hadn't ever _seen_ Byakuya's affection for her.

There was silence before Byakuya inhaled heavily, a bit raggedly. "It must be strange… to see me act like this… Forgive me." Another pause, "I miss you… I wish I could have united you and your sister before you…" his voice broke and he didn't try to pick it back up.

At this, Rukia's calmness faltered drastically. Not a single word that Byakuya had said had registered in her mind. Just his voice. Just his voice that sounded so helpless. During the weeks since she had first met him, she had been lucky to get much of a conversation on a few occasions. And during these weeks, his only sign of weakness had been his pained eyes from last evening. But now, even they seemed insignificant to the anguish that saturated his voice as he spoke to the room. Rukia gasped. A small, quiet reaction to the sharp pressure that had overtaken her chest. As soon as she did, her eyes widened and she cursed herself.

Byakuya's breathing stilled and his aura grew. In a moment, he was at the door. His eyes went wide at seeing Rukia "What are you doing here?" he hissed, his voice panicked.

His reiatsu pressing down on her in addition to the panic and guilt of being caught made it hard for Rukia to breathe. "I… I…" she stammered as she stumbled back, "I just… you… in the garden… I…"

"Leave. Don't come back here," Byakuya ordered, his voice rising slightly in pitch, "Forget this place."

"Nii-sama, I…"

In other times, the man would've listened to her, but this was not the right place, not the right time. He was truly frightened.

"Leave, now!" he finally snapped, his reiatsu becoming threatening as he raised a hand to hit her.

The extreme force of the reiatsu made Rukia stumble greatly and she cried out instinctively. Terrified - of what, she didn't quite know - she turn and ran as fast as she could, trying desperately to reach an area where it would be easier to breathe.

When Rukia fled, Byakuya stood frozen in his place. His hand, now trembling, lowered. What had he done…? "Rukia…" he whispered, his voice cracking again as the force of what just happened crushed down on him.

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Chapter 2! Much more sibling drama.

Translation Notes:  
shihakushou - the Bleach shinigami outfit  
-sama - a highly respectful name suffix. "Katsuro-sama" would be similar to "Lord Katsuro."  
-kun - a friendly name suffix used primarily for young men.  
-dono - a respectful name suffix.  
Onii-chan - a very friendly and childish pet name for an older brother. Similar to "big bro."  
Onii-sama - a mix between "Onii-chan" and the suffix "-sama." Used by Rukia in the series when addressing Byakuya.  
taichou - Captain  
obi - kimono "belt"

Regarding pairings: Technically, there are **NO **pairings in this fan fiction. We aren't writing this with the intention of writing ByaRuki fics. We are writing because the Kuchiki siblings are the most adorable siblings on the face of the planet. If the readers wish to see it as ByaRuki, so be it. If they wish to see it as Kuchiki siblings, so be it.

Regarding the nickname "Bya-kun."It's an allusion to a dropped fanfic of ours, "Those Younger Days." You can find it on my account.

**PLEASE RxR. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Spoiler Warning – This fan fiction may contain mild Bleach spoilers for those readers who have not reached episode 62 or volume 21 (chapter 182).**

**Disclaimer – Bleach and all related characters used in this fanfic are property of Tite Kubo-sama. Katsuro is an original character property of the authors of this fan fiction. However, he is based on character relations in Bleach.**

**Chapter 3**

Rukia collapsed onto the floor inside her bedroom. She had run the whole way home, not stopping even when a group of elders called after her, scolding her. She sprawled out on the tatami mats, eyes closed, breathing heavily, clutching her chest in a feeble attempt to steady her raging pulse. _"Leave, now!" _The roar ran loudly through her head and she cringed as she saw Byakuya looming over her, about to strike. The image was replaced by the dull pattern of the ceiling when she opened her eyes.

She didn't understand. Of all the things she had done - call him by Kaien's pet name, believe Katsuro's lies, walk about Rukongai unescorted at night – Byakuya had hardly acted angry towards her, and had never reacted violently. Was following him such a horrible thing? Was it really so terrible for her to see this hidden side to her brother? Rukia sighed heavily and closed her eyes again, only for the terrified, enraged form of her brother to materialize again.

Byakuya stumbled into his room, shocked and horrified at what he'd done. She'd startled him and the fear that she would find out scared him even more. He'd acted without thinking and was motivated by fear alone. As a result, she probably thought him violent, perhaps mentally unstable. Who knows what she heard… Byakuya didn't really want to know.

He'd tried to be a good brother and be patient and gentle towards Rukia so she wouldn't fear him. A hand moved over his face and covered anguished grey-blue eyes. She had trusted him… but only for a few days. Katsuro told her lies, she believed him. So, he had started to win back her trust. Now… whatever trust was there, if any, was shattered. Byakuya sank to the floor, anger, fear and depression pressing down on him until he could scarcely breathe. What had he done…? He crawled to his bed. What had he done…?

Rukia sped through the hallway, as fast as she could go without actually breaking out into a run. She didn't want to miss her training session with Kaien but she definitely didn't think that waiting for Byakuya to escort her was the best idea. As soon as she left the Kuchiki manor, she slowed down and relaxed a bit and when she reached the training grounds, she was almost completely relaxed.

Kaien greeted her with his usual warm smile but it turned to a look of surprise and slight confusion upon seeing her alone. "Oh? Where's Bya-kun? Did he ditch ya'?"

"Nii-sama is… busy. I decided not to bother him and I came alone." Rukia tried her best to act normal though she knew that it wouldn't work on the vice captain. She was right, and Kaien stared at her, a slight hint of suspicion lining the edges of his eyes. His constant gaze made her uncomfortable and her eyes fell to the ground.

After a while, he spoke again in his carefree tone as if nothing was different. As if Byakuya had just left from dropping her off. "Alrighty then," he grinned, "Let's get started for today shall we? You did bring your zanpakutou today like I said, right?"

Rukia looked up and met his warm eyes. She grinned as well and held out her sword for him to see, "Yes, sir!"

Byakuya took the liberty of sleeping in that morning. He didn't sleep well last night; Rukia's terrified face haunted him. Katsuro snuck off to do whatever he wanted as long as the head of the household was absent.

When Rukia returned from training she headed straight for her room so as not to have any unnecessary encounters with her brother. She bathed and dressed slowly, hoping to be late to dinner.

"Rukia… Is something wrong?" Katsuro asked from behind the door. His voice was heavy with false concern.

"K..Katsuro-sama?" she asked, surprised that he had come to check on her. Instantly suspicious, she finished tugging her shihakushou into place and slid the door open. "What are you doing here?"

"It's like a graveyard here," Katsuro muttered, glancing around warily, "I haven't seen your brother all day and you've been cagey. I just wanted to know if something happened?"

"You haven't seen Nii-sama?" Rukia was genuinely surprised. If even Katsuro - who seemed to worship the very ground her brother walked on – hadn't seen him, then Byakuya could only be avoiding them. "I must have really made him mad," she thought sadly.

"No. He's holed himself up in his room," Katsuro replied, frowning.

"Oh. I see," she mumbled as she gazed off down the hallway.

Byakuya's room was still and quiet, no light of a candle either. It remained that way for the entire rest of the day and the night as well. The head of the house didn't show up for any of the meals and the trays of food taken in to him were only partially eaten. The next morning, Byakuya was absent again.

Rukia sat at the breakfast table and glared at Byakuya's empty seat. The way she saw it, he had no reason to brood. If anything, she should be the one locked in her room. She had been the one who had been threatened, after all. All she had done was follow him. She hadn't even heard half of what he had said. He had no reason to brood. No reason…

She stood abruptly, startling one of the family members that sat beside her. "Excuse me," she said with a bow before she stalked out of the room. She stormed down the hall to his room but as she approached it, she lost steam and her heavy stomps became tentative footsteps. When she reached the room she stood motionless, staring at door. After quite a while, she took a deep breath and knocked softly on the wood panel.

"Come in." Byakuya's voice was quiet, controlled and emotionless.

Frozen to the spot by the cold emptiness in his voice, Rukia remained motionless with her knuckles resting on the door. After another moment, though, she forced herself to slide the door open slowly. "Nii-sama," she said, her voice not being able to reach any volume higher than a whisper.

Byakuya was seated next to his bed, looking out his window into the garden. He turned when he heard her voice. Surprise registered on his face followed by a pleading expression.

"Rukia…" he breathed.

Afraid to see the infuriated expression he had worn yesterday, she kept her eyes on the ground. "Nii-sama, I… About yesterday…" she paused and took another breath to calm herself. She bowed and continued in a clear voice, "I'm very sorry about yesterday, Nii-sama."

"No… No, you don't need to apologize…" Byakuya responded softly, standing but not moving towards her. "I… reacted rashly and before thinking. I sincerely apologize for what I have done. Please forgive me."

Taken aback, Rukia looked up at him. She had been prepared for him to yell at her again, maybe for him to actually hit her this time. She had certainly not expected him to apologize. "No… I… I shouldn't have followed you. I just saw you in the garden and… I didn't know that you were going anywhere important… I just…"

"It's all right. That place is very… special to me… I don't like anyone else near it. I should've explained earlier. I'm sorry…" Byakuya said quietly, looking to the side.

The silence became heavy and Rukia's eyes also wandered. Though she was curious about it, she could easily tell that it would not be wise to ask about the small building.

"I also apologize for my absence…" Byakuya exhaled sharply, "Have you eaten?"

"A little, yes."

"Very well. I'll be out in a few moments. I'll escort Katsuro to his new home and then take you to your training."

"Katsuro?" At first she was confused but then Rukia remembered her brother mentioning that their cousin would be moving to another relative's house.

"Yes. Please inform him that he needs to get packed."

"Yes, Nii-sama. Then, if you'll excuse me," she bowed and stepped backward out of the room, sliding the door shut as she left. As curious as she was and still without a single answer to any of her questions, Rukia felt strangely happy. Was it because Katsuro was finally leaving? Or because Byakuya wasn't as mad at her as she thought he was? She decided that it was probably a bit of both as she walked back into the dining hall and retook her seat.

Katsuro glanced at Rukia.

"So…?" he prompted.

She looked up at him, questioningly.

"What did he say?" he asked.

After a moment's hesitation she looked back down at her breakfast. "He told me to remind you that you must pack for your move," she replied simply.

"Oh…" Katsuro frowned before standing, "I'll go do that then…" He stood and started to leave. Then he paused, "Oh, Kaien-sama told me to tell you that you were going to meet him at the northern part and you'll be working with a team from squad thirteen."

Rukia's eyes made yet another trip up to her cousin. "Kaien-dono did?"

"Yep, I was there early this morning to do some chores around the dorms," Katsuro said with a shrug before leaving the room.

"Ah! Katsuro-sama, wait," she called as she stood to catch him. Katsuro turned and paused to wait for Rukia. "Did Kaien-dono say what time I should meet them?"

"He said ten minutes earlier than normal," Katsuro answered.

"I understand. Thank you for the message, sir," she bowed, "Good luck in your new home."

"Thank you Rukia," Katsuro said with a smile before bowing as well and walking past her.

When it was time for the men to head out, Rukia stood by the door to say good-bye. She couldn't come up with anything to say to her cousin. She hadn't exactly had the best of experiences with him but this wasn't the time to dwell on those things. Settling for a small bow she said, "Katsuro-sama, I wish you luck, again."

"Thanks, Rukia. See ya," Katsuro replied but promptly got cuffed by Byakuya.

"Work on your manners," the man stated and Katsuro hurriedly apologized to both of them. Then the two left.

When they were gone, Rukia turned and walked into the gardens. When she reached the bench under the cherry blossom tree, she sat and gazed up at the petals fluttering in the soft breeze. She felt very content sitting there, waiting for her brother to return. The knowledge that Katsuro wouldn't be returning also had an immense impact on the optimistic mood and though she knew it wasn't right to feel so, she couldn't help but smile at the fact. Day-dreaming about walking with Byakuya to training under friendly terms, she started suddenly, remembering that she was to train in northern Rukongai 10 minutes earlier than usual. In order to get there on time, she would need to leave far in advanced. "I hope Nii-sama returns soon…"

However, Byakuya didn't return for a long while. Katsuro's parents insisted that the man stay with them for a little while so they could talk. Finally though, Byakuya managed to politely excuse himself and leave to go back to his home.

Rukia had stayed at the manor for as long as she could, even lingering a few minutes past the time she had planned to leave. Eventually she grudgingly decided that she had to leave without her brother. Now she was going to barely arrive on time even if she ran all the way. She hastily scribbled a note and left it in Byakuya's room before rushing out.

Only a few minutes after Rukia had left, Byakuya returned and called for her. When hearing no answer, he started to look around. Then he figured she must've left without him. Well, she was a grown girl and she could to go her training by herself. So he settled on the porch to meditate.

"My sincerest apologies for being late, Kaien-dono!" Bowing low at the waist, Rukia panted as she feebly tried to catch her breath, standing in a clearing surrounded by trees. She had run the entire way, using her short shunpo steps as often as she could, and still she had arrived a few minutes late. She expected to hear the vice captain's voice call out to her, dismissing her apology and to feel his huge hand ruffle her hair as was his usual greeting. But it didn't come. Suddenly afraid that she had angered him, she looked up, prepared to see him looking disappointedly down at her. He wasn't there. "Kaien-dono?" She stood and looked around and found no sign of the man or the group of shinigami she had been told she would meet. "Katsuro-sama did say I was to go to north Rukongai, didn't he?" The brush behind her rustled and she turned. "Kaien-dono?"

"Bya-kun!" Kaien waved from the gate of the Kuchiki manor garden, interrupting Byakuya's daze, "'ello!"

"Kaien?" Byakuya stood, "Why are you here?"

"What, can't a guy check up on his good pal once in a while?" the vice captain pouted, crossing his arms and looking very childish. "And apparently you still haven't told lil' Kuchiki-chan about our childhood! Do I have to do all the work around here? Maybe I should tell her about that one time where you ate those berries from the Kyouraku family garden and then for the next week you had a rash all over your…"

"Kaien, where's Rukia?" Byakuya interrupted.

After a bout of silent snickering Kaien looked back. "Kuchiki-chan? Well I figured she'd be here seeing 's how she never came to training today."

"She didn't…" Byakuya narrowed his eyes, "She left for training before I got back."

Instantly more serious, Kaien stared back, "That's strange. I didn' see her on my way over here."

Byakuya stood up immediately and went to Rukia's room to see if she was there. He paused there for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

Kaien, who had jumped the fence and followed him in the house, peered into the room over Byakuya's shoulder. "Not here, huh? You said she left before you got back? Did she say she was goin' to meet me?"

"I don't recall…" Byakuya replied softly, becoming worried though it didn't show.

Watching his friend intently, Kaien remained silent for a long while, and then sighed. "Alright. She has to be around somewhere." He patted Byakuya's shoulder, "Grab your zanpakutou and let's go look for her."

Byakuya nodded and went to his room to get his sword. Upon getting there, he noticed a note on his dresser. Curious, he picked it up and read it.

"_Nii-sama, I remembered that Katsuro-sama told me Kaien-dono requested that I meet him in northern Rukongai for training today. I need to be there 10 minutes earlier than usual. You have yet to return, so I'm going on ahead. I don't remember there being any change in the time the session will end so I'll see you then. Rukia."_

Byakuya felt his insides grow cold. "Kaien!" he shouted as he rushed out of his home with his zanpakuto, "She went to northern Rukongai!"

"What?!" Kaien's roar was loud, as he appeared right in front of Byakuya, having rushed directly to him. Panic was etched into his brilliant turquoise eyes, "Did you say northern Rukongai?!"

"That's what it said in her note," Byakuya said, pushing the piece of paper into Kaien's hands.

He scanned it and shook his head furiously. "I never said that! I wouldn't take anyone who isn't at least a 3rd seat up there. There's a massive hollow infestation! I thought everyone knew not to go near that place."

"Katsuro…" Byakuya hissed angrily, "Let's go," he stated after a moment and used his shunppo to get to northern Rukongai. Kaien followed right behind him.

Rukia screamed. She didn't have enough time to draw her zanpakutou before a huge hollow slammed into her, throwing her into a tree on the other side of the clearing. Her back cracked and she crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. She looked up just in time to see three more hollows emerge from the forest, growling happily.

"What's this? A little soul has come into our nest?"

"Oh, and look it's a shinigami! So tasty!"

"She doesn't look very strong, though. Not a lot of reiatsu…"

"Shut up, idiots. Eat what you can get."

Rukia grunted as she forced herself onto her feet, using the tree behind her for support. She spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground before drawing her zanpakutou and holding the best defensive stance she could manage.

One of the hollows grinned at her and reached out a hand to grab her.

"C'mere you," it growled as its claws swiped at her.

She swung the sword down and sliced the hand in half sending the hollow howling off to the side. Taking her stance again, Rukia turned to face the others. She scanned the clearing intensely, searching for an escape. The hollows had mentioned a nest. If she could only get away from the nest, maybe they wouldn't follow and she might be able to find help.

Suddenly, a hollow that was shaped like a centipede jumped out at her, mouth gaping and roaring. "Hey! That's mine!" shouted another hollow, smacking the centipede away and going for Rukia itself.

Having been prepared to deflect the first hollow, Rukia hadn't been expecting the second to interfere. Its attack hit her squarely on the side of her head, sending her spinning into the trees again. She pulled herself up again, squinting to keep the blood from her fresh wound from seeping into her eyes. But even that impaired her vision and she didn't see the last hollow, a relatively small lizard-like beast, run in beside her. It leaped up toward her arm and bit down. She cried out in anguish as numerous bones in her right hand were crushed. Taking her zanpakutou in her left hand, she spun it and stabbed the hollow between the eyes. It howled and fell back, disintegrating into nothingness. Rukia's eyes burned with pain as she pulled her wounded hand into her chest and tried to hold her sword steady with the other.

More hollows gathered, all snarling and roaring. They quarreled among themselves over who would get to eat the girl. Smaller hollows kept attacking Rukia and biting down on her arms, shoulders, and legs.

She desperately tried to cast various kidou, and though she was able to fell a few hollows, the spells served more in exhausting her. She was barely able to stand, using a tree at her back to keep from collapsing. The blood from her head wound was blinding her, and the numerous hollow bites had injured her limbs, making it impossible to support her weapon. She slid to the ground, dropping the sword. Through her half-closed eyes, she could see the group of hollows advance.

Suddenly, a black figure streaked past her line of vision and leaped into the air. Byakuya attacked the first hollow and it screamed as his sword was driven into its mask and it disappeared. He landed on the ground in a defensive stance in front of Rukia, his eyes narrowed into angry slits.

"Nii…sama…?" Rukia managed between heavy breaths.

Byakuya glanced at her and seeing the blood only made him angrier. He whirled on the hollows and leaped at them again, slashing at their masks. More hollows arrived and he found that when he killed one, two took its place. He hissed quietly and took an upright stance.

"Senbonzakura, Shikai…" His eyes glared up at the hollows who, stupidly, did nothing to stop him, "Chire." Almost immediately, glowing cherry blossoms swirled around him before they gathered into a large cloud and attacked the hollows. Several more screamed as they were eliminated.

"Suiten sakamake, Nejibana!" Water splashed into the clearing knocking numerous hollows away as Kaien leaped out of the trees, spinning his trident zanpakutou above his head. His expression was very serious as he gracefully slashed the hollows around him, dancing from enemy to enemy.

Rukia coughed up blood as she struggled to push herself up. She was exhausted by her overuse of kidou but she couldn't stand not helping. With her good hand she cast a powerful Shakkahou, taking out a few hollows.

"Rukia, rest," Byakuya called to her as the rest of his cherry blossoms continued to kill the hollows. When there was only a few left, Byakuya returned his sword to normal and destroyed those few.

Kaien also took his zanpakutou out of shikai state, spinning it around his fingers as it transformed and then sheathing it in one fluid motion. "Kuchiki-chan, you alright?"

"I'm fine," she lied. As they walked toward her she pushed herself away from the tree in an attempt to stand without the support, but she stumbled and fell. A roar erupted from behind her and she spun around to find the tree torn down, replaced by a huge hollow lunging at her.

At the roar, Byakuya whirled. Suddenly terrified he wouldn't be in time he rushed forward anyways.

"Hisana!!" he screamed without thinking as he tried to intercept the hollow.

Time seemed to stop. Rukia gazed, wide-eyed and stunned at nothing in particular. Not at the hollow, inches from her. Not at her brother, desperately running ahead. Not at the vice captain, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her away. She didn't see anything. She didn't feel anything. She only heard her brother calling. Not calling for her. She only heard her brother calling her by his wife's name. His wife…

Byakuya was able to destroy the hollow in time. But when the name he'd shouted came back to him, he turned deathly white. They arrived at the Kuchiki household safely, but the head of the household was shaky and pale yet, he kept his stony expression.

Rukia was tended to by a small group of 4th division healers that Kaien had called on their way back. Her hand had been badly broken and she had suffered many injuries to her arms and legs as well as her head. The healers were able to mend a great deal but she still was required to bandage her hand and head. When they left, Rukia fought unsuccessfully with the urge to slip into unconsciousness and her brother's voice rang through her ears as she fell asleep.

Byakuya was uninjured, but he was feeling terrible. What would she think of him now…? Would she think that Katsuro was right? Katsuro. Byakuya's eyes narrowed. He would arrest that boy for attempted murder.

However, he didn't move. His fear of what Rukia would say kept him rooted to the spot. He put his face in his hand. Why did he say that…? He had promised himself to never mention Hisana's name…

"_Rukia-chan! Rukia-chan! Wait for us!" She spun around and beamed as three young boys stumbled through the wispy fog, laughing and tripping over themselves as they rushed to keep up. Behind them, the trees of Rukongai were barely visible, shifting and rippling like water as the bright fog swirled around. "Rukia-chan! Wait up! Rukia-chan!" She stood with a triumphant grin and watched as they neared her and then suddenly dispersed into the cloudy space. _

"_Rukia!" She was kicked from behind and she jumped and shrieked. Whipping around, she glared at Renji who was smirking stupidly as he leaned against the vague line of the hallway in the shinigami academy. "Rukia! Day dreaming again? How do you ever expect to get into the advanced classes?" She opened her mouth to yell at him when he faded into the clouds._

"_Yo, Kuchiki!" Looking up, she saw Kaien grinning down at her. "Ready for your training?" He reached down to ruffle her hair but lost his form in the sea of fog just as the others had. And in his place, a massive hollow lunged at her. She turned to run and saw him running toward her._

"_Hisana!!"_

_The mist was abruptly blown away from her as if a powerful explosion had ripped the cloud apart from the center. They all stood in front of her. Her friends from Rukongai smiled and waved up at her enthusiastically. Beside them, Renji posed with his arms crossed, grinned and nodded at her. Kaien's warm smile was accompanied by his two-fingered salute as he stood next to the others. And off to the side stood Byakuya. His posture was much more formal compared to her friends. His cold violet eyes gazed in her direction but he seemed to be looking beyond her. She turned to see what it was he was looking at. The woman was shrouded by what little was left of the clouds and light. But still Rukia knew who she was._

"_Hisana-sama," she breathed. She looked again at her brother who continued to gaze at the barely visible woman. A wave of bitter seclusion rushed over her. The other figures were gone and only her brother stood without looking at her, without noticing her standing so close to him, just looking at the woman. When even they began to fade away, she closed her eyes tightly._

"Of course. That's how it has always been, hasn't it? This man… In the week I've been with him… Not once as he looked at me. Never has he looked at _me_."Katsuro had told her this before, that her brother only saw Hisana in her. But when Byakuya assured her that the bond would go no further than siblings, she had believed him. She still believed him. Now though, she had seen for herself that he saw Hisana. He saw Hisana. And with this insight came another realization.

She realized now, that for the past week she had been hoping with every ounce of her being that her new family would accept her, that her new brother would accept her. She had been hoping that she wouldn't be the weed in the garden of beautiful flowers. When it had seemed she was accepted, she had been so relieved, so happy. But now it all felt like a lie. Like a play in which she was playing the part of another character. Like someone had tied the flower buds of another plant to the weed.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar dull pattern of her ceiling.

The sun was bright and it was warm. It was past noon. Byakuya was silently wandering the gardens, slowly withdrawing into himself. The trust he'd built up with Rukia was now gone. Because of his mistake, it had destroyed everything. He looked up at the sky as a soft gust of wind gently blew through the gardens. He was beginning to lose hope; he wasn't the older brother Hisana had seen in him. He had failed her and Rukia. The thought almost made him sick. Coldness settled in his heart as he imagined Hisana's disappointed and sad expression because he had failed.

Rukia slowly pushed herself upright in bed. Her head spun slightly and her right arm felt like heavy dead weight, having it slung up near her chest. Scanning the empty room, she sighed and propped herself up against the wall behind the bed. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Days turned into weeks and Byakuya didn't come by to check on Rukia as he normally would have. He was always gone on some trip and often didn't come back for days on end. He made special arrangements for Rukia and stressed not to ever let her go near another hollow infestation alone no matter how powerful she became. Byakuya became stoic and cold, not letting anyone get close to him or even showing his emotions. He talked little and never started a conversation, which made people feel intimidated by his attitude and his icy, solemn aura.

Rukia was no exception and she felt especially cold when around him. However, she felt a numb sort of relief as well. When Byakuya wasn't constantly around, she didn't feel like she had to worry about playing the part of Hisana. Katsuro wouldn't return, so Rukia was left alone with the elders most of the time. Her training with Kaien was her only escape from the stuffy formality of the Kuchiki manor and she returned to him as soon as she was fully healed. But in addition to running away from her clan members, she knew her Vice Captain held another purpose. He was the only person left who looked at her. He was the only person left who accepted her. And she clung to this small source of companionship with everything she could.

Byakuya was glad that things got back on schedule and he kept himself as busy as possible. Meetings and such took up the majority of his week. He knew he wasn't being the older brother that he should, but as things were going, he and Rukia wouldn't be on good terms for a long time. That he hated and wished desperately he could change. Two years passed and Byakuya was able to watch Rukia learn and grow under Kaien's careful training. He truly was proud of her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it only to ruin the relationship again.

"Good job, Kuchiki!" Kaien praised as he tossed her an onigiri and sat down beside her. "Ya' may not be able to land a seat, but I'm sure I can get ya' a job in the human world eventually. How's that sound?"

She smiled and nodded. In the past two years, Rukia had become much more accustomed to her lifestyle. She was spending most of her time with her vice captain and a few other members of the 13th division. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere else, so the rest of the time she spent in her room or in the Kuchiki gardens. She certainly didn't feel the acceptance in the Kuchiki clan that Kaien showed her, but she had come to terms with herself over it. She knew that Byakuya didn't see her, but she told herself it didn't matter. She wasn't in the spotlight. Nobody paid much attention to her. Everyone overlooked her for the most part and she decided that was a good thing. If there is a weed in the garden that everyone ignores, it can flourish among flowers.

END

**Author's Comments:**

Last chapter. Sad ending. We couldn't really have it be a happy ending, though, could we? If we wanted it to fit into the series, it wouldn't make sense if they were on good terms. ; Anywho, I hope you liked it.

**Regarding Kaien**: Based on recent manga chapters, it has been revealed that Kaien is not only older that Byakuya (which makes the fanfiction "Those Younger Days" invalid), but he also doesn't seem to think very highly Byakuya. ;;; But this was written before those chapters were released so it doesn't matter. Hehehe.

Translation Notes:  
shihakushou - the Bleach shinigami outfit  
zanpakutou - the Bleach shinigami swords  
-sama - a highly respectful name suffix. "Katsuro-sama" would be similar to "Lord Katsuro."  
-kun - a friendly name suffix used primarily for young men.  
-dono - a respectful name suffix.  
Onii-chan - a very friendly and childish pet name for an older brother. Similar to "big bro."  
Onii-sama - a mix between "Onii-chan" and the suffix "-sama." Used by Rukia in the series when addressing Byakuya.  
taichou - Captain  
obi - kimono "belt"

Regarding pairings: Technically, there are **NO **pairings in this fan fiction. We aren't writing this with the intention of writing ByaRuki fics. We are writing because the Kuchiki siblings are the most adorable siblings on the face of the planet. If the readers wish to see it as ByaRuki, so be it. If they wish to see it as Kuchiki siblings, so be it.

Regarding the nickname "Bya-kun."It's an allusion to a dropped fanfic of ours, "Those Younger Days." You can find it on my account.

**PLEASE RxR. Thanks!**


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